Accessibility Links

Shades of Sir Alex Ferguson era as Manchester United wreak havoc against West Ham

Manchester United 4 West Ham United 0

Henry Winter, Chief Football Writer

August 14 2017, 12:01am, The Times

Premier League clips powered by Sky Sports

Video highlights: Manchester United 4 West Ham United 0

This was the most exhilarating football that Manchester United have played since Sir Alex Ferguson was in the dugout not the directors’ box. United’s 2-0 win over Chelsea last April was impressive enough, especially given the quality of the opposition, but this victory was a throwback to the Ferguson era when attacking vibrancy was the norm, when a rout was almost routine.

For all the concerns about José Mourinho’s pragmatic nature when he arrived at Old Trafford, the Portuguese knows full well the club’s great history, and here were signs of him being prepared to unleash United fully. He has always sought to build the defence first, and strengthen the spine which now looks formidable with David De Gea, Eric Bailly, Nemanja Matic, Paul Pogba…